Rear-view LCD screens offer a safer alternative to the traditional mirror

One of the more impressive features of the upcoming 2018 Nissan Leaf is its rear-view mirror LCD screen.

During a recent test drive, with the flip of a button the mirror transformed into a TV screen, except that it displayed what was going on behind the car rather than my favourite Netflix shows – a good thing for everyone involved.

The resolution was sharp, clear and virtually indistinguishable from what you might see in an actual mirror. It also automatically adjusted when I drove into a tunnel, with the picture clarity continuing despite the change in outside lighting.

The advantages over a basic rear-view mirror quickly became apparent. Since the mirror/screen uses a camera mounted at the back of the car, it's never obstructed by anything inside the vehicle. No headrests, tall people or rear-window wipers obscuring your view.

I was disappointed to learn, then, that Nissan won't be offering the screen as an option in the new Leaf when it comes to Canada early next year.

Indeed, the Japanese car maker is holding back on a wide-scale rollout in North America over all, with only the U.S. version of the Armada having it as an option.

Despite that, Nissan is working on expanding the technology. The company is testing a rear-view screen that incorporates three cameras – adding one underneath each side mirror – to produce a panoramic display with a wider field of view. Say goodbye to blind spots.

Unfortunately, Canadian consumers aren't willing to pay for the existing feature, according to the car maker's focus group research.

"The No. 1 reason people don't want it is cost," says Francois Lefevre, chief marketing officer for electric vehicles at Nissan Canada.

The company doesn't disclose how much the screen costs on its own – it's typically part of an upgrade trim.

Estimates from IHS Markit, however, peg the general wholesale cost of adding an LCD screen and associated camera at between $250 (U.S.) to $300, a fair hike over the basic price of a mirror, which can run as low as $5 up to $75 depending on extra features, such as lighting and auto-dimming.

After-market LCD screen mirrors can be less expensive, as low as $40, but installing one can void a car's warranty.

Despite Nissan's hesitance in North America, IHS Markit expects the market to grow as costs fall. Car makers will produce 1.8 million units annually by 2025 as the wholesale cost drops to around $150 over the next few years. The after-market will be at least 10 times that size, the firm says.

The technology has had some regulatory hurdles to overcome because it puts a screen into the driver's field of view. It received approval in the United States last year, and that only happened because it's an optional function.

"If it was something that was never able to turn off, that's when it becomes a safety hazard," says Mark Boyadjis, automotive analyst at IHS Markit.

Other car makers are seeing growing demand from their customers now that the technology is allowed. General Motors, for one, began offering rear-view screens last year as an option in the Cadillac CT6, with expansion following – including in Canada – to the Cadillac XT5, Chevrolet Traverse and Bolt.

David Begleiter, technology planning manager for GM Canada, was sold on the benefits of LCD mirrors after taking his family on a camping trip this past summer.

"We had the vehicle loaded from floor to ceiling. If it wasn't for that feature, I wouldn't have been able to see through the rear-view mirror," he says.

Next up: side-mirror cameras and screens. IHS Markit expects production on these systems, which will display what the side mirrors see on dashboard screens, to begin within the next 12 to 24 months.

The idea has its advantages. Replacing side mirrors with cameras would make cars thinner and more aerodynamic.

Augmented reality capabilities such as distance measurements – similar to what Honda's LaneWatch feature already does on the passenger-side mirror – could also be added to the virtual reflections.

Adoption will be more modest than rear-view screens, however, with only an estimated half a million units in production by 2025.

Regulations and complexity will be the biggest obstacles, Boyadjis says, since side-view screens are more difficult to implement.

Car makers still have to work out where to place the displays on the dashboard so that it makes sense for the driver. They can't have the passenger-side mirror view past the centre of the car, for example.

"It's a lot more complicated story," he says. "It's why we're more bearish in that area."

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